Five Cup Salad

A fancy-dress version of the
Five Cup Salad (Image **)

(also known as: Ambrosia)

This is an easy one that many people know, but, because of the somewhat unusual combination of ingredients, folks tend to overlook it when shuffling through their on-board memory files. It can serve as a side,  salad or even dessert. It's always popular at potlucks, too.

Ingredients

~ Canned mandarin oranges (15 ounce can, or more)

~ Canned pineapple, small pieces (15 ounce can, or more)

~ 1 Cup shredded, sweetened coconut

~ 1 Cup miniature marshmallows

~ 1 Cup sour cream

Preparation

~ Drain the fruit well. (The juice can be saved for other purposes, basting, for instance, or even for drinking, with the addition of a proper thinning agent, like, ohhh, maybe vodka, tequila or rum.)  

~ To combine, first thoroughly stir together the sour cream and the coconut. Next, stir in (gently) the fruit. Finally, mix in (gently) the marshmallows.

~ Chill (the salad, not you). (Well, you too. After all there is that leftover juice.)

You will be tempted to eat this right away. Don’t. If you chill it in the ‘fridge for at least six hours, the flavors will meld and the cold will bring up the sweetness. It will taste 47.5% better. Guaranteed.

If you want to dress this up

Drain a small jar of maraschino cherries (no stems), then let the cherries rest on a paper towel for at least 10 minutes. (If you don’t get all the juice drained off, the cherries will bleed messily on the salad.)

Put the salad in a decent-looking serving bowl or container and smooth the top. Dot the cherries in a pleasing pattern on top.

Serve cold.

Variations

Yogurt or whipped topping can be substituted for all or part of the sour cream.

Other fruits can be added or substituted, including grapes, bananas, strawberries or other sweet berries, or crushed pecans.

;^)

Some like it hot

So the other morning, being a mite chilly here in Tucson, I decided to make some hot chocolate. Not hot cocoa, mind you; there’s a difference.

Hot chocolate is what you make from a powdered mix of chocolate, sugar and multitudinous other ingredients, like Nesquik or

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

STOP THE PRESSES!

I just discovered that the Hershey company has discontinued Hershey’s Chocolate Milk Mix! This is beyond incredible! It's right up there with New Coke.

Someone there in Hershey, Pennsylvania has been standing way too close to the chocolate-powdering machines without respiratory protection. What, for pity's sake, is going on?! Is nothing sacred?

This is just too sad to continue to write about. I’m going to go to bed and pull the covers up over my head.

No wonder I haven't been able to find it for months now. I thought I was just hitting the wrong grocery stores. I just don’t believe….

To protest this travesty, click here to go to Facebook.

:,^ (

Thick, Rich 'n Easy Tapioca Pudding

While it is still a cooked pudding, this recipe lets you bypass the tricky
parts—it's cheek-to-cheek tapioca grinning with vanilla flavor.


Ingredients
~ 1 Box of Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding (4 half-cup servings size)
~ 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk + 4 ounces (half cup) water
~ 2 or 3 Tablespoons Tapioca

Preparation
~ Combine ingredients in a medium-sized sauce pan, whisk together thoroughly
~ Allow to stand 5-10 minutes.(this softens the tapioca)
~ Whisk thoroughly again (the tapioca likes to clump together; you have to train it not to).
~ Cook according to package directions, stirring thoroughly and often.

Serve hot, warm or chilled.

I imagine this approach might work with other flavors of cooked pudding as well.

;^)

Uncle Genie’s BaconEgg Battercakes

Pancakes luxurious with egg flavor and bacon-y crunch.

Ingredients (For one hearty serving)

~ Two large Grade A eggs. (It might be possible to use pasteurized eggs—no guarantees.)

~ Two strips of bacon. (Ditto on using alternatives.)

~ Self-rising flour (Self-rising, not all purpose. Read the front of the bag*.)

~ Maple syrup or topping of choice (warmed)

Preparation

~ In a skillet or sauté pan, fry the bacon crisp. Reserve some of the drippings for cooking the cakes.

~ While the bacon is cooking: Beat the eggs well in a mixing bowl. Add salt to taste and a pinch of sugar for each egg.

~ Beat in small amounts of the self-rising flour until you have a smooth, viscous mix, not as thin as 30-weight oil, but not as thick as joint compound. You’ll want it to flow gently when you pour it in the pan, not be runny. If you over-thicken it, add quick dribbles of water just until you recover a decent fluid movement. But remember, the water is diluting the flavor. Adding another beaten egg would be the preferred recovery plan.

~ Add a teaspoon of drippings or vegetable oil or melted butter to the batter and blend in.

~ Using a weapon or tool of choice, reduce the crisp-cooked bacon to pea-sized chunks. Mix the bacon chunks into the egg batter.

~ Pour the batter into the medium-hot, bacon-greased pan, making one large or two smaller cakes. Cook over medium heat until bubbles rise through the batter and the edges begin to look lightly browned. Turn once, cook for about half the time as the first side. (If side 1 is undercooked, fry side 2 a little longer. Serve the prettier side up.)

Serve.


*If all you have is all-purpose flour, add about a quarter teaspoon baking powder--no guarantees, I'm just eye-balling it here. If you don't have baking powder, either, then go to IHOP for breakfast.

;^)

Epworth Sunday Morning Scrambled Eggs

At Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, these eggs (or something very much like them) were the reward for early risers on Sunday mornings back in the 1960s and 70s. This was a rich, moist concoction, thick with small chunks of smoky bacon—the best breakfast of the week.

Ingredients

~ Bacon (Real bacon, please.)

~ Eggs: The more the better; it helps keep the final product moist. To attempt this with anything less than three large Grade A ova of the Gallus domesticus will be to little purpose. (Real eggs, por favor, not the pasteurized milk-carton version.)

~ Warm buttered toast (If you need a recipe for this, you’re in trouble.)

~ Jelly. jam, preserves, marmalade and/or orange juice

Preparation

~ In a sauté pan or skillet, fry the bacon crisp; use at least one slice per egg. Do NOT drain the bacon drippings from the pan.) Keep the pan warming (not smoking or burning) on the stove afterwards.

~ While the bacon is frying: In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs; make sure the yolks are broken and blended in.

~ Break, crunch or cut the crisp bacon into pea-sized chunks and mix them into the eggs. Salt and pepper (nothing exotic) to taste.

~ Pour the mixture into the skillet or pan (the one with the drippings still in it) on medium heat. Work the eggs gently, turning to their uncooked side. DO NOT OVERCOOK. These eggs should be very moist, but not slimy. It won’t take long. (If you overcook the eggs, put ketchup or jelly on them and go ahead and eat them. Try again next week.)

Serve.

(You should exercise appropriate caution in considering eating undercooked eggs; there is a risk of salmonella or other contaminant poisoning. Read other Disclaimers.)

;^)

Caramel Apples

Real Easy Carmel Apples (Original post)

(Updated graphic)

Ingredient List
~ 1 bag wrapped caramels (for this recipe, I prefer Brach's)
~ 8-12 (pending size) apples (I prefer Granny Smith)

Preparation
Sit in a comfortable chair (I prefer a recliner). Unwrap 1 caramel, place in mouth.
Take a bite of apple. Chew.
Add additional caramels or apple to taste.

;^)

Horchata (an essay)

Like white on rice (Posted on Uncle Genie 11/22/2010)

There’s a peculiarly refreshing drink that becomes more commonly available the closer one comes to the Mexican border. It’s called horchata. Recipes for horchata include a variety of ground grains or nuts, but the version most commonly found along our southern border is made with ground rice.

I was introduced to horchata at a farewell luncheon held at a Mexican restaurant in Denver in 1995. I was leaving my job there and, at the lunch, one of my colleagues pointed it out on the menu and recommended I try it. I was hooked from the first taste.

Often called agua de horchata, it’s lighter than the so-called rice milks sold in grocery stores and actually has a more pronounced rice flavor. Its origins go back to Spain; there are even indications of Moorish influence.

There are numerous formulas on the net, but the only really tricky steps are grinding the rice and then straining the ground rice from the final beverage. After that process, generally it’s sweetened and usually flavored with cinnamon.

Of course, the simplest thing is to buy horchata already prepared. Some Mexican restaurants serve it and bottled varieties can be found in some groceries. My favorite brand is Kern, which is carried by Albertson’s here in Tucson.

Then all you need is a tall glass filled with ice and you’ve got a real thirst-quencher. In fact, there’s some horchata in my refrigerator right now—and I think I can hear it calling my name.

 ;^)